A Former Becerra Aide Pleaded Guilty In A Fraud Case. I Still Have Questions

SACRAMENTO — Dana Williamson, 1 of nan governmental heavyweights astatine nan halfway of a financial ungraded involving gubernatorial campaigner Xavier Becerra, looked shell-shocked Thursday morning successful a national courtroom successful downtown Sacramento, arsenic astir folks do erstwhile bad choices collide pinch nan difficult realities of nan justness system.

A thousand-yard look successful her eyes, Williamson responded “guilty” 3 times successful a sound that required a microphone to beryllium heard arsenic nan judge walked her done a plea woody reached days earlier pinch nan U.S. Department of Justice. She apt won’t beryllium sentenced until autumn (possibly adjacent to nan wide election) but will — again conscionable a apt present — astatine champion look location confinement and astatine worst upwards of 3 years successful prison.

It’s a colossal autumn for a female who wasn’t truthful overmuch a advisor arsenic a political operative to Becerra, Gov. Gavin Newsom, erstwhile Gov. Jerry Brown and a slew of companies including Meta and PG&E. She was known astatine nan Capitol arsenic a female who sewage things done, sometimes pinch finesse, sometimes not.

It was her savvy and expertise to present immoderate was needed done her heavy connections and knowledge of nan analyzable structures — charismatic and taste — that govern nan California halls of powerfulness that makes her predicament each nan much confounding. Especially because, acold from stealing money for self-enrichment, she really paid money to beryllium portion of this scheme.

That alone, to me, raises questions.

Though Williamson’s blameworthy plea whitethorn look for illustration an ending to nan saga, it shouldn’t beryllium because there’s still a batch lurking successful nan acheronian corners of this deal.

If Becerra makes it past nan primary, which seems (I’ll usage that connection again) likely, voters person a correct to know.

Here’s nan elemental backstory, according to tribunal documents. Becerra’s adjacent aide, Sean McCluskie, took a salary trim to stay pinch his leader erstwhile he moved to Washington, D.C., to go President Biden’s Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Strapped for cash, McCluskie asked Williamson to person money from Becerra’s dormant run relationship — which Becerra was legally not allowed to negociate while holding national agency — and walk it done a bunch of different accounts earlier giving it to McCluskie’s woman arsenic costs for a non-existent job.

Williamson’s attorney, McGregor Scott, said Thursday that Williamson received $7,500 each period from nan Becerra relationship and added $2,500 from her ain costs earlier sending it connected to yet scope McCluskie — for a full of $10,000 a month.

McCluskie was “living connected a authorities salary,” Scott said Thursday aft court. “Wife is location pinch nan kids. They didn’t person capable money, and that’s wherever this each originated. [Williamson] was simply trying to thief a friend successful a pinch arsenic champion she could.”

Scott, a erstwhile Bush and Trump United States attorney, managed to get Williamson’s orginal 23-count indictment knocked down to nan Becerra relationship issue, on pinch lying to nan FBI and filing a mendacious taxation return.

McCluskie entered his ain blameworthy plea successful nan case past November, and is scheduled to beryllium sentenced, on pinch nan 3rd lobbyist, successful June.

Becerra, who is simply a slim-margin beforehand runner for governor, was nan unfortunate successful this lawsuit — aliases much precisely, his authorities run slope relationship was, according to tribunal documents.

There has ne'er been immoderate denotation that Becerra was investigated arsenic a participant, and he has forcefully denied wrongdoing, calling it a “gut punch” that his advisers allegedly betrayed him.

That, of course, hasn’t stopped nan different candidates from utilizing nan lawsuit against him.

“My opponents person spent millions spreading lies to purposefully mislead voters,” he wrote Thursday connected societal media. “Today confirms what I person said from time one: I did thing wrong. Case closed.”

Meanwhile, Scott, nan attorney, besides said Thursday that Williamson assumed, based connected her conversations pinch McCluskie, that McCluskie had spoken to Becerra astir nan conception of nan money transfer. Text messages successful tribunal records show a little and ambiguous speech betwixt McCluskie and Williamson that backs that up.

Scott said that Williamson ne'er said straight pinch Becerra astir nan scheme.

That leaves nan chopped anticipation that Williamson believed Becerra knew what was happening — but ne'er asked him. Dumb? Maybe. But Williamson isn’t usually dumb.

“The knowing that McCluskie conveyed to my customer was it was OK to proceed,” Scott said.

Becerra has many times said he believed nan $10,000 a period was a morganatic interest being paid to negociate nan costs successful nan dormant relationship while he could not — though that is an magnitude supra what is accustomed for specified work, as my workfellow Dakota Smith has reported.

Becerra has besides many times utilized immoderate variety of nan “case closed” line, seemingly hoping to move past this ungraded without further answers.

But astatine nan very least, it deserves immoderate benignant of mea culpa from Becerra aliases lessons learned, a much robust speech than nan brush-off it’s been getting. Because either McCluskie is 1 heck of a con man who rolled some Becerra and Williamson, making some judge what was happening was kosher pinch wholly different tales, aliases personification isn’t being wholly honest.

Did Becerra ne'er mobility why an relationship pinch almost nary activity was costing truthful overmuch to manage? Did he ne'er wonderment what Williamson was doing to gain each that money? Should he, pinch his decades of ineligible and governmental experience, person seen reddish flags moreover pinch a trusted adviser? Or is Williamson, facing sentencing, conscionable trying to overgarment herself successful a sympathetic light?

“I’m not trying to overgarment my customer arsenic a victim,” McGregor said. “She’s accepted work coming for what she did by pleading guilty. She’s now a felon. So you know, we’re not trying to do thing to creation distant from that.”

Williamson whitethorn beryllium done dancing, but nan music’s still playing, and nan fancy footwork of authorities continues.